During my time at Northwestern, ASG has lacked a certain clarity in it’s core mission and purpose. This lack of focus has made many otherwise noble efforts to improve our campus lose steam. Even the best leaders can fail to deliver as expected without a clear mission. Until there is a core set of values that are manifested in every action, both internal and external, ASG will be unable to be relevant to students on our campus. However, these very actions complete the vital balance of big picture thinking grounded in efficient day-to-day execution. Thus, it also vital for there to be the presence of leadership that has a proven track record of achievements that span within and outside ASG. On April 13th, we have a unique opportunity to bring this type of leadership to ASG.

Austin and Ash bring both a wealth of organizational experience as well as a leadership style that is conducive to efficiency and effectiveness.

Some argue that this is the only time campus is paying attention to ASG, and it’s a fair sentiment. ASG has not always been an organization to become excited about. However, in this spring’s elections, I feel as though we do have candidates who can keep us engaged well past election day: Austin Young and Ash Jaidev. Austin and Ash bring both a wealth of organizational experience as well as a leadership style that is conducive to efficiency and effectiveness. I am confident that they will serve as fine leaders for our campus.

The mere presence of values is not enough – It is important for us to elect leaders that will bring a variety of voices to the table in the spirit of collaboration. Austin and Ash have spent their time at Northwestern building relationships with a variety of students, and plan on using ASG as a body to promote collaboration between different student groups. ASG doesn’t need to govern us; it needs to unite us. With this in mind, I humbly endorse Austin Young and Ash Jaidev for ASG.

Sahil Mehta

Sahil Mehta is the former president of the South Asian Student Alliance